Browns to build a Jim Brown statue

Posted by Mike Florio on February 17, 2016, 1:32 PM EST

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On the 80th birthday of the greatest Cleveland Brown who ever lived, the Browns have announced that he’ll be immortalized.

“Everyone admires the incredible impact that Jim Brown has made for Cleveland, the Browns and the NFL throughout his lifetime, and we have had the special opportunity to know and learn from his contributions to our team on a personal level, as well,” Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam said in a statement release by the team. “It is only fitting that one of the most iconic professional football players and members of Cleveland and the Browns is commemorated with this statue as he will always be such a permanent fixture in our city.”

In a nine-year career, Brown gained 12,312 yards, an average of 5.2 per carry and more than 104 per game. He retired in 1966, at the age of 30.

Brown’s decision, ostensibly to pursue a film career, was a stunner. But plenty of players have chosen to walk away on their own terms; only in the post-CTE NFL has a player’s decision to quit voluntarily become the subject of predictions that the supply of football players eventually won’t meet the demand.

The reality is that the supply of players (with the exception of quarterbacks) far outweighs the demand, and teams will be able to continue to load up rosters and depth charts with players, the vast majority of whom will be exiting the sport involuntarily as new players constantly arrive on the scene.

Get it done. Transcendent players in any sport should get treatment like that. Chicago has one of Michael Jordan in front of the United Center and Boston has one for Bobby Orr in front of TD Garden. Jim Brown would fall in this obvious category.

No indeed!! I love Jim Brown – but if a statue should go up outside First Energy stadium it should be Papa Paul Brown!!!!!!
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I agree 100%. Jim Brown was a great player but he added his share of Reverse Racism comments in the past 59 years. Call it Activism if you want, but a white guy would be hung out to dry if he said some of the things Jim Brown has said about a different race.
Paul Brown built the team and then made them Champions. He was also much more important than any one Player. What about those superb Linemen Tight ends and Receivers blocking for Brown on the line and downfield that get ZERO credit!
Jim carried the Rock for 9 years, and was superbly conditioned in a time before that was as common as it is now.
This has the feeling of White guilt added with some over compensation.
This has created kind of a Monster of expectations.

I’m guessing the woman who “fell” off of his balcony won’t be there for the ribbon cutting. Great player, probably not the greatest guy, especially if you are a woman. I’m a little ambivalent about the statue. Give Paul Brown one first.